BAKED SIDE OF SALMON WITH VIETNAMESE CUCUMBERS (for six to eight)

a side of wild salmon, about 4 pounds

salt and pepper

olive oil

mint, cilantro and basil sprigs

lime wedges

Vietnamese cucumbers to accompany

1. Bring the salmon to room temperature and preheat the oven to 450*. Put the fish on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle a little olive oil over the salmon and rub it into the flesh.

2. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the oven down to 350*, and bake for 10 minutes more, just until juices appear on the surface.  When probed with a fork at the thickest part, the salmon should be moist – cooked through, but barely.  Transfer the fish to a warmed plate and let it rest at least 5 minutes before serving.

3. Before bringing the fish to the table, embellish the platter with mint, cilantro and basil sprigs, and surround the salmon with lime wedges. At the table, break the salmon into rough portions.  Pass the cucumbers to be spooned over the fish.

from David Tanis, A Platter of Figs